


Rebranding

by nancypants (cah_avengers)



Category: Wolf 359 (Radio)
Genre: I will not stop until my heart is quiet, M/M, god damn you urbina, major finale spoilers, you beautiful talented bastard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-22 04:19:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13159152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cah_avengers/pseuds/nancypants
Summary: I can not think of a summary that will be free from spoilers.





	Rebranding

**Author's Note:**

> How many different fics will ep 61 inspire??? Only god knows  
> I’m back on my bullshit again

The first thing that Warren realizes is that he’s wearing a space suit. 

That’s not right.

He vividly remembers what it felt like to be in space  _without_  one. He remembers losing vision as he stared at the Hephaestus. He remembers thinking about how he was dying just before he lost consciousness. And that that outcome seemed just about right.

The next thing he realizes is that he’s quickly approaching the Urania. He reaches out and grabs onto it, holds on tightly. 

Oh. He has two hands again.

He wants to laugh. Of course he’s not real. He’s not  _really_  Warren Kepler. Warren Kepler is dead.

He breathes heavily and just hangs on. He knows Hera must have alerted the crew by now. He’s got comms, he could explain the situation.

Suddenly he’s not sure what he should do. He contemplates letting go, leaving them be. He doesn’t know who’s inside, what they’ll do to him. But he holds on.

He thinks about Jacobi’s clone. Thinks about how terrified he must have been, stuck out here, his crew refusing to let him in, letting him die.

He feels so fucking real it makes him angry. He remembers everything. He can still  _feel_  the way space stole the air from his lungs.

It doesn’t matter that Warren Kepler is dead.  _He_  is alive. He has to get on the ship, has to tell Jacobi, make him understand that he  _tried_. Warren tried and Jacobi can’t be mad at him any more because he’s the only person that was ever capable of making Warren realize he was still a person.

“Hello?” He says, waiting for the crackle of response through his comms.

“Who are you?” It’s Minkowski. Good. That means they won. They’re going home.

“You really gotta ask?” That’s Lovelace’s voice. “We all know that voice.”

“It’s me. Well, I can’t be  _me_ , exactly, but I’m here. Look, if you aren’t going to let me in, fine. I completely understand that decision, Commander.”

Minkowski sighs. “God damn it.”

Jacobi hasn’t said anything. Why? Is he all right?

“Is Jacobi—“

“Fine, Kepler…Jacobi is fine. Well…for the most part,” Lovelace responds.

“Good…” he sighs, looks back at the star which is still blue. “Will you tell him I—“

“Shut up. Just, shut up. You can say whatever you need to say once you’re inside.” It’s Jacobi. He sounds…well he doesn’t sound angry. 

And that’s all Warren needs to start pulling himself along the structure to the nearest airlock.

“Are we sure—“

Lovelace is cut off by Minkowski. “You’re a clone too and you’re not half bad. I don’t think it’ll hurt to let him in. If Bob wanted to use someone against us, you would’ve gone all…’Avatar State’ by now.”

“All right…fair point.”

The airlock opens, he closes it once he’s inside. It pressurizes and fills with oxygen.

And there’s Jacobi, his face appearing in the window, expression…unreadable.

He looks awful. His face is bruised and his lip is split. 

When the inner door opens, Warren realizes it’s much worse. Jacobi’s arm is in a sling, his ribs are bandaged.

“Jesus, Daniel,” is all he manages to say.

Warren is inside now, the inner door is closed. So Warren quickly sheds the space suit. 

“They gave you your hand back,” Jacobi says finally.

Warren flexes his hands. “I’m surprised they bothered to give me anything at all…last I checked, they’re not fond of me.”

“Wasn’t there something you had to say?”

“Daniel…” he wants to move closer to him, to hold him. But Daniel looks…wary of him. “I didn’t…I wasn’t going to cross that line. Ever. I don’t need you to forgive me for anything, I just need you to know that I was on your side. I was just much more useful playing the game from Cutter’s.”

Daniel takes a shaky breath. “Yeah. I know.”

“You do?”

“We figured it out when we found Young’s body.”

“Oh, that’s…good.” Daniel knows. So what’s the point of this. Why is Warren inside the Urania? “I’m not…Warren Kepler. He died. I remember it.”

“Yeah, I…I think that might be a good thing.” Daniel manages a smile and Warren’s heart feels heavy in his chest.

“You look awful, Daniel…”

Daniel laughs and the sound makes Warren smile.

“Riemann really did a number on me. Him and my own traitorous explosives.”

“You idiot,” Warren says, still smiling.

“I should…take you to the bridge. Or…maybe the brig,” Daniel furrows his brow.

“Brig. Quarantine me. Just in case.”

Daniel nods. “Practical as ever, Colonel.”

“No…just Warren.”

Daniel raises a brow. “Fine…let’s go, Warren.”

“Everything good, Jacobi?” Minkowski asks over the comms.

“Ship-shape.”

“Uhh, Commander?” Warren asks, glancing up at the nearest speaker as they make their way to the Urania’s brig. “Thank you. For letting me on board your vessel.”

He hears Lovelace laugh in the background. “Wow, Clone Kep is already off to a much better start.”

“You’re…welcome. But don’t think this is some sort of blanket forgiveness or that you’ve been fully redeemed,” Minkowski says.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Warren chuckles.

“We’re here,” Jacobi says and they come to a stop.

Warren Kepler might have said something cocky to Daniel now about how he just couldn’t leave his commander behind.

But Warren just stares at him. “I never thought I’d see you again,” he admits.

Daniel’s expression is still so hard to read. Might be the injuries. Might be that Daniel is truly and wholly broken this time.

Warren takes his face in his hands. It feels good to feel the warmth of him under  _both_  hands. He doesn’t want to hurt him. 

He kisses him, carefully, making sure not to put too much pressure on his split lip.

To his amazement, Daniel doesn’t punch him. 

Not right away. 

When Warren pulls back, looks down at Daniel, he’s not surprised to see emotion bleeding into his expression. But it’s like he can’t settle on one. It flits between sorrow and heartbreak to relief and then finally settles on anger.

Daniel punches him.

“Ah…I deserve that,” Warren says, touching his cheek.

“God damn right, you do.” Daniel says. “You absolute asshole. You should have just come with us. We would have made it. It would have been  _fine_.”

Oh. That’s not what he was expecting.

“I had to be on the inside—“

“No, that’s bullshit. God damn you. You had to go and fucking die because you’re so fucking dramatic and…” he trails off, looks away while he struggles for words.

“Daniel…”

Daniel looks at him, expression softening. “God damn you.”

Daniel kisses him, and it’s not careful. His good hand grips the back of Warren’s neck tightly, his mouth presses against Warren’s with bruising pressure.

Warren tastes blood on his tongue and he pulls back. “Relax…it’s all right,” he says, cradling Daniel’s face.

Daniel presses his sleeve to his lip, curses under his breath.

It’s not fair that Daniel’s so broken and Warren feels more whole than he has in a decade.

“It’s not all right…” Daniel exhales. “You’re dead.”

Warren’s heart aches. It feels good. It hurts but it’s so much better than feeling nothing.

“I deserved it. And if it comforts you to know, I went out exactly like I wanted to. I was lucky enough to have that flask on me that you got me for my birthday.”

Daniel is laughing now and wiping his eyes. 

Warren wants to hold him but he looks like he might break if he does that.

“Yeah, great, I spent good money on that thing and now it’s space junk.”

Warren smiles at him. He’s glad he didn’t let go. He’s glad he’s back inside, even if he’s not really him and he can never really be Warren Kepler.

It was all…worth it. Because Daniel doesn’t hate him.

“You gonna lock me up now, Mr. Jacobi?”

Daniel sighs. “Yeah, guess I should do that. In you go.”

Warren complies and turns to look at Daniel before he closes the door. “Did Eiffel make it?”

“…in a sense. He’s definitely alive.”

Warren will have to follow up on that later. But for now, “Will you tell them all I’m glad they survived?”

“Yeah…I’ll do that.”

“All right. See you later, Daniel.”

“Night, Warren.”

Daniel closes and locks the door.

**Author's Note:**

> PSA: I love Daniel Kenneth Jacobi with my whole heart  
> thanks


End file.
